DOJ Announces Biggest Gun, Drug, and Cash Seizure in Darknet History

(The AEGIS Alliance) – The Justice Department announced the biggest online drug seizure in United States darknet history on Tuesday.

The takedown operation dubbed “DisrupTor” resulted in authorities seizing more than $6.5 million in both cash and cryptocurrencies, along with 274 kilograms of illicit drugs such as fentanyl, meth, oxycodone, and other drugs, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ’s operation was an international effort assisted by European law enforcement partners.

The Oxford dictionary’s definition of the darknet describes it as a computer network with restricted access that is used mainly for illegal peer-to-peer file sharing.

A number of cases from jurisdictions throughout the U.S. were outlined by Deputy Attorney General Jeffery Rosen.

Rosen gave prepared remarks and said,“There will be no safe haven, or drug dealing in cyberspace.”

PHOTO: Seizure by Los Angeles Joint Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) on Feb. 11, 2020, of approximately 120 pounds of methamphetamine, 7-kilograms of MDMA, and 5-firearms. (DEA)

“Today’s announcement is very much a success story in international law enforcement cooperation, as crime on the Darknet is truly a global problem that requires global partnership,” Rosen continued.

“However, the global nature of the threat also means that foreign countries who fail to act can easily become safe harbors for criminals who seek to pump lethal, addictive drugs into the United States from abroad. The Department cannot and will not allow criminals to operate with impunity.”

Acting Head of the Drug Enforcement Administration Tim Shea said many of the drugs are coming in through Mexico while FBI Director Chris Wray said the darknet is a “perfect storm of both cyber and traditional crime.”

Shea stated that “At the same time, we’ve seen an increase in fentanyl deaths, and that’s synthetic opioids, which is a major threat emanating from Mexico, drugs, produced on an industrial scale in Mexico are shipped to the United States using the dark web.”

Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.